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How To Choose

Expert Shredding in Sonoma County: Will it meet your needs?

• Does your home feel controlled by piles of outdated documents that you have no idea what to do with and no time to destroy on your own?
• Are you concerned that someone could steal your identity because of all the personal information you have just laying around?
• Does your business deal with sensitive information that you want to be diligent about disposing of in the right manner?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are most likely in the market for a reliable shredding professional who can take care of your personal and/or business materials in an appropriate manner with a high level of security and good disposal practices. It’s not a problem you encounter every day. In fact, you have to have outdated documents that require destruction in order to even consider looking for a shredding business in Sonoma County. So you may be asking yourself, where do I begin?
Let Diamond Certified help! In the following articles, you will find practical information on choosing and hiring the right shredding business for your needs. Whether you live in the larger cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Guerneville or the smaller towns of Agua Caliente, Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, Salmon Creek and Villa Grande, Diamond Certified can help you know what to look for in and how to locate a trustworthy shredding professional in Sonoma County.
Why Shred? Professional Shredding in Sonoma County
Did you know it is not illegal for someone to go through your trash? You may not have understood that before, or thought that it doesn’t really happen, but “dumpster diving” (as it has come to be called) is very much a reality we all have to deal with. There are people who are willing to dig through your discarded belongings to find information they can use to steal your identity for their own personal benefit. And if you don’t protect yourself, no one else can.
• Private individuals: There are a tremendous number of ways that resourceful thieves are able to comb through your discarded documents and find enough information to bring a world of inconvenience and unnecessary costs into your unsuspecting life. In fact, a survey conducted by Cal PIRG and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse suggests that on average, identity theft costs a victim 175 hours and $800 to resolve the initial theft as well as two to four years to resolve any residual problems. Shredding documents with confidential information is one of the best ways you can protect yourself against this preventable loss of time and resources including if you live in the larger cities of Sonoma County such as Petaluma, Windsor, Sonoma, Sebastopol and Cotati.
• Businesses: For businesses both small and large, shredding documents is not only a good idea—it is required by law. California civil code and federal law both require the destruction of all discarded customer, employee and company information. Businesses have an “implied contract” to protect all personal information and violation of this contract can and does result in binding legal action complete with high fines and harsh penalties once violated. Business owners, even in the smaller towns of Sonoma County such as Annapolis, Bodega, Roseland, Schellville and Vineburg, should desire to show the highest standard in ethical dealings as well as keeping their business as green-friendly as possible. Professional shredding provides the opportunity for businesses to show their stake holders that they are highly serious about matters of the legal, ethical and environmental variety.
What to Shred? Professional Shredding in Sonoma County
We have all doubted that we really need to keep that pile of mail cluttering up our desk drawer, attic crawlspace or other area of our home. The best advice we can give is listen to your doubts! Don’t keep anything that someone else could get their hands on and use against you when you are least expecting it. The types of things you should shred include:
• Financial information: Literally each piece of mail or documentation you receive from a financial institution can potentially be used to steal your identity. Records should be kept for three years, but then shred.
• Personal information: Every document that contains any part of your name, date of birth, social security number, address, telephone numbers or driver’s license number should be shred.
• Account information: Identity thieves prey on account numbers along with user names and passwords, so shred documents that contain any part of those items of information.
• Junk mail: It’s hard to believe, but a little piece of junk mail can provide an entrepreneurial thief with the information they need to use your own information against you. Shred not only the piece with your info on it, but also any return envelopes sent with it.
Hiring a Professional Shredding Company in Sonoma County
A lot more of our personal and business information is being transferred online, but thousands of tons of paper is still being used to document our lives. All of this information (especially the online kind—but that’s for a different article) can be used against us by those who would steal our identities for their own personal gain. Partnering with a shredding company to safely and securely get rid of these kinds of personal documents is one of the best ways you can practice to avoid falling victim to identity theft.
There are a number of reasons to consider hiring a Sonoma County shredding company, whether you live in the larger cities of Petaluma, Windsor, Sonoma, Sebastopol and Cotati or the smaller towns of Agua Caliente, Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, Salmon Creek and Villa Grande. Here are a few to think about:
• Finances: Especially for business owners, a shredding service can cut the cost of document disposal by at least half.
• Dependability and efficiency: Shredding services work just like any other hireable service in which specialists come to your location and get the job done in much less time than it would take you.
• Safety: Shredding companies are especially interested in showing their clients that they are a secure business who is committed to destroying and disposing of documents in a complete and safe manner. They will most often use more caution and professionalism than your own employees or family members when destroying and getting rid of your information.
• Green concerns: Many shredding companies work with paper mills to ensure your documents are completely recycled—more than you can do on your own with local recycling companies.
The benefits of a document shredding service are extensive. You can take advantage of these services and save money and time by having a Sonoma County shredding specialist take care of all your shredding needs.

You are the customer. If your goal is to choose a shredding company that will deliver high customer satisfaction and quality, you’ll feel confident in choosing a Diamond Certified paper shredding company. Each has been rated Highest in Quality in the most accurate ratings process anywhere. And you’re always backed by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. Here’s why the Diamond Certified ratings and certification process will help you find a top-rated shredding company and is unparalleled in its accuracy, rigor and usefulness:

1) Accuracy: All research is performed by live telephone interviews that verify only real customers are surveyed, so you’ll never be fooled by fake reviews.

2) Statistical Reliability: A large random sample of past customers is surveyed on an ongoing basis so the research results you see truly reflect a Diamond Certified company’s top-rated status.

3) Full Disclosure: By clicking the name of a company above you’ll see the exact rating results in charts and read verbatim survey responses as well as researched articles on each qualified company.

4) Guaranteed: Your purchase is backed up with mediation and the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee, so you can choose with confidence.

Click on the name of a Diamond Certified company above to read ratings results, researched articles and verbatim customer survey responses to help you make an informed decision.

More than 200,000 customers of local companies have been interviewed in live telephone calls, and only companies that score Highest in Quality in customer satisfaction–a 90+ on a 100 scale–as well as pass all of the credential-based ratings earn Diamond Certified. By requiring such a high score to qualify, the Diamond Certified program eliminates mediocre and poorly performing companies. Read detailed information about the ratings and certification process.

Know What You Want

Questions for you: The first step to finding a shredding company in Sonoma County

Tackling your shredding needs before it’s too late can be a daunting task, especially if you’ve let the paper pile up over the years. That is why it is important to take a step back before launching into the process and consider what the right route for you is. Professional shredding in Sonoma County, even in the towns of Annapolis, Bodega, Roseland, Schellville and Vineburg, can be an easy answer to all your document destruction needs. However, you need to be aware of what you are looking for, what kind of job you are trying to hire for and various other questions before even beginning your search for a professional shredding company in Sonoma County.
Use the following questions to prepare yourself for the task of finding someone trustworthy to take care of your sensitive information. You’ll need to be prepared to answer some questions yourself before moving on to find a shredding company you’ll be able to trust in Sonoma County.
1. Do I want a Diamond Certified company that is rated best in quality and backed by the Diamond Certified Guarantee?
2. What is the size of the job I am looking at completing? (You should be able to respond to this in an informed estimate of total number of regular size file boxes your papers would fit in.)
3. What is the level of security I am looking for upon disposal? Are these highly sensitive documents that need the highest level of shredding or could I get by with a lower end shred size?
4. Do I want to develop a long-term relationship with this shredding company (i.e. have them come for regularly scheduled shredding times)?
5. If I own my own business, should I look into obtaining a secure shred file box to keep my documents in between shredding visits?
6. Do I prefer to take my documents to a shredding company or have a mobile shredder come to my location?
7. What are some of the attributes I am looking for that will help me know I can trust the shredding company I choose?
8. Do I have more than just paper to be shred? Do I need to look for a shredding company that can accommodate other items such as cds, disks, etc.?

What To Ask In Person

Questions for them: In-person interviews of shredding companies in Sonoma County

You’re getting closer to being able to make the best decision for your shredding needs in Sonoma County. The phone conversations should have helped you narrow down shredding companies in your area, including in the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Guerneville. Now you’ll want to get out to see the rest of the shredding companies in person to see how their operation works firsthand. If you are considering some mobile shredding companies, you may want to take it under advisement if they do not have a place to meet with you. You’ll most likely want to choose a company with a little more roots in your community, than just a couple of fly-by-nighters with a shredding truck.
Use the following questions to put together a short in-person questionnaire for your visits to local Sonoma County shredding companies. You should have found out most of the salient information during your phone conversations, but these serve as good follow-up to solidify your choice as you decide who to trust with the disposal of your sensitive documents.
1. Can I see a sample of your certificate of destruction?
2. Can I see some samples of different shred-sizes?
3. If you are certified by NAID, can I look at your certification?
4. Can you provide me with information on ten of your most recent clients to use as references?
5. Can I tour your shredding facility or see your mobile shredding units?
6. (If they shred in-house) Do you offer the chance for customers to watch their documents being shred? What is the schedule for this?
7. Do you offer discounts for customers who set up a regular shredding schedule with you? If yes, what are they?
8. Do you recycle the material you shred? Who do you work with for this service and does it cost extra?

Articles Index

What To Ask References

Questions for others: Interviewing references of shredding companies in Sonoma County

Shredding documents is an important part of living a responsible, adult life. However, it can be a scary process to try to find a shredding company that will treat your information securely and with care. There is no surefire way to know that all your documents are shred unless you do it yourself. If you don’t have time for that, you’ll have to try to locate a trustworthy company in your area of Sonoma County, whether you’re in the bigger cities of Petaluma, Windsor, Sonoma, Sebastopol and Cotati or the smaller towns of Agua Caliente, Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, Salmon Creek and Villa Grande.
One method to help ease your mind is to choose a Diamond Certified shredding company because all certified companies have passed an in-depth ratings process that most other companies can’t pass. If you want quality from a shredding business in Sonoma County and the greater Bay Area, you can have confidence choosing a Diamond Certified company. Diamond Certified reports are available online for all certified companies. And you’ll never be fooled by fake reviews. That’s because all research is performed in live telephone interviews of actual customers.
If you can’t find a Diamond Certified shredding expert within reach, you’ll have to do some research on your own. If you do, it’s wise to call some references provided by your shredding representative. Keep in mind, though, that references provided to you by the shredding company are not equal in value to the large random sample of customers surveyed during the Diamond Certified ratings process. That’s because references given to customers from companies are cherry-picked instead of indiscriminately selected from all their customers. So the shredding business will likely give you a few customers to call that they know are happy with their work.
If you do call references on your own, explicitly ask for a list of the company’s 10 most recent customers. This will help avoid them giving you the names of only customers they know were satisfied.
1. Were you satisfied with the service you received from this shredding company?
2. Would you (or do you) work with this company on a regular basis for all your document destruction needs?
3. Describe the best part of working with this shredding company? The worst part?
4. Do you have your documents shred on-site, use a locked box or take your documents to their facility? If the company offers more than one option, why did you choose to go with the one you did?
5. Would you recommend/have you recommended this company to your colleagues, friends and family?
6. If you are no longer working with them, why did the professional relationship end?
7. If you have a scheduled shredding appointment coming up, would you mind if I stopped by to see how the process works?

Review Your Options

Questions for you: The last step toward finding and hiring a shredding company in Sonoma County

The Diamond Certified symbol has been awarded to companies that scored Highest in Quality in an accurate ratings process.

Your choice of a shredding company can mean the difference between dealing with identity theft and a host of other problems related to personal information leaks, or living your life without the hassle. It is a vital decision for your life, and you shouldn’t make it without much prior thought and research. So before deciding on the best shredding company in Sonoma County for you, it’s important to consider the following questions.
1. Which company did I feel was the most upright? (Always trust your gut-reaction in situations such as this one.)
2. After learning more about the options for shred-size, what size am I willing to pay for in my document destruction?
3. After learning more about the different ways for document destruction to take place, which way is going to work best for my needs?
4. Am I certain this is a job I am unable to complete myself, making the hiring of a shredding company unavoidable?
5. Did any of the companies I interviewed strike me as a good fit for my needs, from the phone questionnaire to conversations with references?

How To Work With

Shredding in Sonoma County: What to look for

You’ll want to have a good awareness of the many ways in which your paper can be shredded in this day and age. It is no longer enough just to cut your documents into thin strips—all levels of security shred-size and type are offered. Some include:
• Strip cut shredders have the lowest level of security, these cut the paper into vertical strips which can easily be put together by a determined identity thief.
• Shredders that cut documents into rectangular or diamond pieces.
• Shredders that make tiny squares or circles from the documents.
• Shredders that cut the documents so many times that the pieces are able to pass through mesh once finished.
• The latest technology in shredding has produced machines that grind the paper back to pulp.

The security you are looking for with shredding companies in Sonoma County, whether in the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Guerneville or the towns of Agua Caliente, Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, Salmon Creek and Villa Grande, should define which company you choose to dispose of your documents. Identity theft is definitely taking a turn for the more advanced, and you should hire a company who can make you feel the most secure when destroying your personal information. Levels one through six cut papers into a size range from 12mm to .8mm—check with your shredding company on their particular shredding size abilities.

Shredding in Sonoma County: The process

Hiring someone to take care of your personal or business document disposal is a major decision that affects the safety of your own personal information or that of people for whom you are responsible. When you’ve made that decision, you should know how a regular shredding disposal session will go, especially if you own your own business. The following are five steps normally included in an on-site shredding visit:
1. Storage of documents: Shredding companies normally offer secure boxes that are used to store documents between regularly scheduled visits. These boxes are tamper-proof and are often only able to be accessed by the shredding specialists.
2. Shredding visit: Experts from your chosen shredding company will arrive at a previously scheduled time with their machines in a marked vehicle. This vehicle is where the actual shredding will take place. You should assign a representative from your company to oversee the work of the shredding company while they are at your location.
3. Document removal: Shredding specialists will remove the locked boxes from your location and process them through their shredders in their vehicle. It is your job to ensure that these employees have gone through rigorous background checks and security training to provide you with peace of mind.
4. Actual shredding: It depends on the company, but most conscientious companies have rigged their trucks so the shredding can take place behind a security shield where you can watch your documents being shred, but no one can have access to them during the shredding process. It is up to you to supervise this process as much or little as you feel comfortable with.
5. Follow-up: Most companies should give some form of certification to let you know that the papers they removed from your premises were destroyed. Although not a legal document, this certificate can be referred to should you have to take legal action following a shredding appointment.

Obviously if you are having personal documents shred out of your home, you would not require a locked box from the company beforehand. However, most of the other steps would go similarly, and should still wrap-up with a certificate of destruction.

Be a Good Customer

How to Follow a Good Shredding Customer Protocol

It’s the shredding company’s responsibility to shred your personal documents successfully using the best possible shredding techniques. But you play a big part in the success of your shredding company, too.
The following methods can help you be a good customer when hiring a Sonoma County shredding company.
• Be clear and upfront with the shredding company. Let them know what you want from them, the long-term result you’re expecting and specific ways they can satisfy your expectations.
• Remember, a friendly smile goes a long way!
• Before you hire a shredding company in Sonoma County, restate your expectations and goals, and reiterate to the shredding representative your understanding of the agreement. Most problems with local shredding industry occur because of a breakdown in communication. By being completely honest about your expectations and theirs, you can avoid most conflicts.
• Ask your shredding expert if you should contact them to check on the progress or if he will call you with updates.
• Be sure your shredding representative has a phone number where they can reach you at all times while they’re shredding your documents. The work will move along more smoothly if your shredding company can reach you for any necessary updates, questions or work authorizations.
• When your shredding company contacts you, return calls quickly to keep the work on schedule.
• Pay for the shredding work promptly.
Why would you want to follow good customer protocol? Shredding companies in Sonoma County appreciate customers who are straightforward, honest and easy to work with. Your good customer behavior sets the tone from your end and creates an environment conducive to a good relationship. Things may very well go better and any problems may be more easily resolved.

Written Warranties

Certificates of Destruction and your Sonoma County Shredding Company

While most shredding companies will give you guarantees for things such as time spent on the job, estimate vs. actual costs and employee security training, they are unable to offer a guarantee that everything you give to them is shredded. Shredding companies are not going to be able to take a full inventory of the documents you provide to be shredded; therefore there is no way they are able to, in good conscience, say that everything will be destroyed.
This is where a certificate of destruction comes in. While less legally-binding than a definite guarantee, a certificate of destruction provides some peace of mind that the bulk of the material you send to be shredded is being destroyed. Often written in terms of the number of boxes shred, a certificate of destruction will be given to you once your shredding job is completed. If you receive an invoice before the certificate of destruction, you should ask to see the certificate before making any payments.

Top 10 Requests

Ten Leading Shredding Companies in California

There are many shredding companies that can handle your document destruction safely, securely and in a fast manner. The ten companies listed here have made a name for themselves in California and are members in good standing with NAID.
1. America Shredding: Offering trusted and affordable services both on and off site.
2. DataSafe: Founded in 1946, this company pioneered the industry of document management.
3. Integrity Shred, LLC: Devoted to safe and secure destruction of all documents and compliance with California state destruction laws.
4. Safeshred: Providing the most secure document destruction for over 20 years.
5. Shred Confidential, Inc.: Continually working to set a higher standard of practice for document destruction.
6. Shred-it: Lead the way for chain-of-custody processes, offering trustworthy service and a world-wide network of service centers, this company has the most secure and confidential shredding policy in the industry.
7. Industrial Carting: Offers secure document destruction for all your shredding needs.
8. Gone for Good: Offer a full line of document destruction but has a business model with a heart. This company was created to provide jobs for adults with disabilities.
9. Southland Shredding: Family-owned and operated business with a professional vision for document destruction.
10. Paper Cuts Inc.: Offering secure, convenient, efficient and affordable shredding with an emphasis on customer service.

Glossary Of Terms

Glossary of Paper Shredding Terms Used By Local Document Destruction Companies

Do you know the difference between a strip-cut and cross-cut shred is? Not many people understand the world of shredding and the indelibly linked world of identity theft. That’s why you’ll want to be more informed before you hire a company to dispose of your personal documents.

The following list of terms and definitions should help you navigate through a better professional relationship with your shredding company.

archive service
The point at which an individual’s records have reached the end of their retention period and need to be destroyed.

disintegrator
A type of shredding which cuts papers so finely that they are able to get through mesh.

Also known as: disintegration paper shredding

identity fraud
When a criminal uses fictitious personal data to mask their own identity. Paper shredding and document destruction is often used to prevent identity fraud.

identity theft
When a criminal uses the personal information of another individual to mask their own identity. Document destruction and paper shredding services can help prevent identity theft by destroying sensitive documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ for Document Shredding and Document Destruction Services

Q: Why choose a Diamond Certified shredding company?A: Diamond Certified helps you choose a shredding company with confidence by offering a list of top-rated local companies who have passed the country’s most in-depth rating process. Only shredding businesses rated Highest in Quality earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award. Most companies can’t pass the ratings. American Ratings Corporation also monitors every Diamond Certified company with ongoing research and ratings. And your purchase is backed by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. So you’ll feel confident choosing a Diamond Certified shredding business.

Q: Is professional shredding expensive?
A: Document destruction, paper shredding and personal document shredding is more affordable than people think. Shop around, ask for quotes on the amount of documents you have to be shred and make your final decision based on this and a variety of other factors including how secure the company seems, whether or not they are certified by NAID, etc.).

Q: What documents should I shred?
A: There are many documents that need to be shred for your personal identity safety. These include financial documents (anything that comes from a financial institution with your information on it); any document that includes your social security number, date of birth, license number, full name, address, phone number; anything with an account number on it; junk mail (the bar code contained on it often includes some of your personal information).

Q: Will I need to remove any fasteners (staples, paper clips, etc.) before having my documents professional shred?
A: This will vary from company to company, but most local paper shredding businesses now use highly powerful shredding machines that can handle all fasteners. Ask before you decide which shredding company to hire.

Q: What is shred-size and why does it matter?
A: Shred-size is exactly what it sounds like—the size to which your paper is reduced once run through a shredding machine. Many document destruction companies offer various smaller shred-size for different security purposes. Shred-size matters because it increases your security when you shred smaller and with more rough edges. Make sure to find out the shred-size before hiring a shredding company. The largest shred-size should be no bigger than five eighths of an inch by one and a half inches.

Q: What is a certificate of destruction?
A: Most companies issue a certificate of destruction that states all material they have been given has been destroyed. This is especially important for sensitive document destruction, personal paper shredding and other documents that you want to guarantee were shredded.

Q: Is a certificate of destruction a guarantee?
A: No. Shredding companies cannot take a full inventory of all papers included in a shredding job, therefore they cannot guarantee that every single one will be destroyed.

Q:What are some measures I can take to ensure that documents do get destroyed?
A: Shredding your documents yourself is truly the only way to ensure complete destruction of all personal information. On-site shredding can also help you have peace of mind, since the company comes to your home and/or office and does the shredding in front of you. Many shredding companies and document destruction businesses will shred your documents while you watch so you can feel confident that all documents have been destroyed.

Q: Can shredded documents be recycled?
A: Yes! Ask the shredding companies you are considering whether or not this is a service they provide. Many do, so if it is important to you, make sure you find out beforehand.

Q: Can materials other than paper be shredded?
A: Yes. Many shredding companies offer shredding of x-rays, transparencies, diskettes, magnetic tapes, etc. If you have any such items, ask to see what exactly the shredding machines can handle.